SBAB Chapter 49

In just a moment, all the romantic thoughts in Lin Xin’s mind disappeared without a trace. It was as if a cold bucket of water had been thrown over him, washing away the lingering ambiguity in the room and bringing him back to the harsh reality.

Cheng Shiyin had accepted him, embraced all of him, and was ready to face the future with him, yet he still hadn’t been honest with her.

Cheng Shiyin didn’t know yet that the cruel future she thought she was prepared to face was not what she imagined, and whether it could be easier, Lin Xin wasn’t even sure.

“What’s wrong?” Cheng Shiyin asked with concern, kneeling to observe Lin Xin’s expression closely, trying to gauge his condition.

But the closer Cheng Shiyin got, the harder it became for Lin Xin to pretend he was fine. He curled himself up as much as he could, trying to hide anything out of place, and softly muttered, “I’m fine,” though his expression only became more distorted.

Seeing this, Cheng Shiyin let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she understood Lin Xin’s sudden reaction. She quickly ran to the kitchen and returned with a steaming cup of brown sugar water. Though Lin Xin’s expression was a bit frightening, she too endured pain every month, so she understood his discomfort.

While the brown sugar water didn’t have any real effect on Lin Xin, the short time it took for her to come and go helped him calm down. Lin Xin stood up and took the cup with a smile, accepting the moment’s peace, as well as a convenient excuse.

Lin Xin drank the brown sugar water in big gulps, emptying the cup quickly. He handed it back to Cheng Shiyin and, watching her walk away, felt a mixture of emotions.

If I confess, will she… believe me? Will she believe such an absurd truth?

Lin Xin’s gaze followed Cheng Shiyin as she washed the cup and put it back in the cabinet. She had already left the kitchen when she suddenly stopped, not turning around, but stretching out a hand to toss something into the trash.

He knew exactly what that paper ball was. It was the list of rules Cheng Shiyin had written when he first moved in—rules both of them had agreed to follow, rules that had once been a barrier he couldn’t cross. But now, she had torn it up without even glancing at it, turning it into something meaningless.

Cheng Shiyin had done everything: she took the first step, and now she had broken the promise. Lin Xin didn’t understand—why was he still hesitating? Cheng Shiyin had already cleared away all the obstacles. What reason did he have to stay in his castle like a motionless sleeping beauty?

Lin Xin quickly slapped himself twice, finally making up his mind—two more days of hiding, just two more days.

Lin Xin desperately gathered proof that he wasn’t just some pervert in the girls’ dorm. He wanted Cheng Shiyin to believe that although everything seemed absurd, it had happened. And once Cheng Shiyin knew everything, the decisions she made would no longer be in his hands.

Before Cheng Shiyin came back, Lin Xin went to her. He grabbed her hand and said, “Today marks the first day of our relationship.” His tone was no longer weak or humble. Along with his unwavering love, there was now a hint of determination.

Cheng Shiyin suddenly smiled. It turned out that real love could help people grow quickly.

“Gurgle…” A mysterious sound suddenly came from both of their stomachs. Cheng Shiyin and Lin Xin looked at the clock on the wall at the same time. Time had been stolen from them; the hour and minute hands were overlapping, pointing at the noon position. They looked at each other in silence, not quite believing what had just happened, but both decided they should take care of their hungry stomachs first.

Without saying a word, they walked toward the kitchen, moving in unusually synchronized steps. It was as if they had practiced this routine a thousand times, creating this lunch together. The difference this time was that, though there were two of them, only two hands were working. As for the missing two hands, ever since Lin Xin took Cheng Shiyin’s hand, they hadn’t let go of each other.

Even during their meal, they sat on the same side. Lin Xin, who usually used his right hand, picked up his chopsticks with his left hand, struggling for a while but failing to pick up a single piece of broccoli. The next moment, Cheng Shiyin easily picked up the mischievous piece of broccoli and placed it straight into Lin Xin’s mouth. Lin Xin chewed the bland, healthy broccoli like a child eating candy, his eyes squinting as he smiled nonstop, but his hands grew even clumsier.

From that day on, Lin Xin and Cheng Shiyin’s palms seemed to have been glued together by some powerful adhesive. No matter when or where, they always held hands. However, because it was so common for close female friends to walk arm-in-arm, no one even noticed that they were now a couple. This made Lin Xin, who wanted to show off, feel a little frustrated, even though only a day had passed.

Lin Xin boldly invited Cheng Shiyin to a large shopping mall near the school, treating it as their first official date. They both dressed up—well, more accurately, Cheng Shiyin dressed up, since Lin Xin only had one set of clothes to wash and wear repeatedly. But even so, he looked quite striking, especially when the casually passing Shang Xiaoxia saw him from a distance, smiling like a fool, his face radiating happiness that outshone the brightest desk lamp in an interrogation room.

As soon as Shang Xiaoxia saw Lin Xin, she immediately pulled Wu Lian and hurriedly walked in the other direction. Out of guilt, she instinctively felt it was better to avoid Lin Xin until she had a solid plan to fix things between him and Cheng Shiyin. But what she didn’t expect was that Lin Xin, holding Cheng Shiyin’s hand, dashed toward her at full speed, giving her a playful slap on the back and greeting her in the friendliest tone possible. “Long time no see! What are you two doing here?”

Shang Xiaoxia, still stunned by Lin Xin’s sudden change, watched as he insisted on brushing his hair behind his ear with the hand holding Cheng Shiyin’s. Their tightly clasped hands swung back and forth in front of her. Knowing full well what was going on, Shang Xiaoxia didn’t answer Lin Xin’s question but instead blurted out, “Congratulations, congratulations.”

This was exactly what Lin Xin wanted to hear. Proud of his success, he laughed with a goofy “hee-hee-hee” that could have filled a taxi with its silliness, making Cheng Shiyin, who stood beside him, laugh non-stop as well.